wowwikifandomcom-20200223-history
The Lich King
Origins of the Lich King The Orcish clans, bound by a noble, shamanistic culture for thousands of years on the world of Draenor, knew nothing of corruption or spiritual decay. But the sinister agents of the Burning Legion sought to forge them into a voracious, unstoppable army. The cunning demon, Kil'jaeden, second in command of the Legion, saw that the savage warriors had vast potential for murder and bloodshed – and set out to corrupt their tranquil society from within. Kil'jaeden appeared to the Orcs' most respected leader, the elder shaman Ner'zhul, and told him that he would bestow upon the Orcs great power and make them the undisputed rulers of their world. He even offered the old shaman untold mystical knowledge if he agreed to bind himself and his people to the Legion's will. Calculating and power hungry by nature, Ner'zhul accepted Kil'jaeden’s offer and made a Blood Pact with the demon. By doing so, Ner'zhul had sealed the Orcs' fate and damned them to become the unwitting slaves of the Burning Legion. As time passed, Kil'jaeden recognized that Ner'zhul did not have the will or the brazen audacity to follow through with his plan of forging the Orcs into a bloodthirsty horde. Ner'zhul, realizing that his pact with Kil'jaeden would only lead to his race's annihilation, refused to help the demon any further. Enraged by the shaman's defiance, Kil'jaeden swore to take vengeance upon Ner'zhul, and corrupt the Orcs despite him. Kil'jaeden found a new, eager apprentice to lead the Orcs on the path to oblivion - Ner'zhul's own nefarious protégé, Gul'dan. With Kil'jaeden’s help, Gul'dan succeeded where his teacher had faltered. The evil, power-hungry Orc not only abolished the ancient practice of shamanism – which he replaced with the study of demonic Warlock magics – but united the Orc clans into the volatile Horde that Kil'jaeden had envisioned. Ner'zhul, powerless to stop his former apprentice, could only watch as Gul'dan masterfully transformed the Orcs into mindless agents of destruction. Years passed as Ner'zhul brooded silently upon the red world of Draenor. He watched as his people staged the first invasion of Azeroth. He heard the tales of the Orcs' Second War against the Alliance of Lordaeron. He bore witness to the treachery and corruption that seemed to be destroying his people from within. Despite Gul'dan's masterminding the Horde's dark destiny, Ner'zhul knew that he himself was responsible for setting it all in motion. Shortly after the end of the Second War, the news of the Horde's defeat reached the Orcs who had remained in Draenor. Ner'zhul, knowing that the Horde had failed its mission to conquer Azeroth, feared that Kil'jaeden and the Legion would take dire action against the remaining Orcs. To escape Kil'jaeden's imminent wrath, Ner'zhul opened a number of mystical portals that lead to new, unspoiled worlds. The old shaman rallied the remaining Orc clans and planned to lead them through one of the portals, and into a new directed destiny. Before he could execute his plan, Ner'zhul was forced to deal with an Alliance expeditionary force sent to Draenor to destroy the Orcs forever. Ner'zhul's loyal clans managed to hold the Alliance forces at bay while the old shaman opened the raging, magical portals. To his horror, Ner’zhul realized that the portals' tremendous energies were beginning to rip the very fabric of Draenor apart. As the Alliance forces pushed the Orcs further back into the hellish world, Draenor began to buckle in on itself. Realizing that the battling clans would never reach the portals in time, Ner'zhul selfishly abandoned them and escaped with his elite followers in tow. The evil group of Orcs crossed through their chosen portal just as Draenor blew apart in an apocalyptic explosion. The old shaman believed he’d been lucky to escape death... Ironically, he would live to regret his náiveté. Thanks to ''Blizzard Universe for compiling this information'' See also *Ner'zhul *Prince Arthas Category:Lore